GOJ health card November

Health Minister, Dr. Fenton Ferguson has committed that the long-awaited Government of Jamaica (GOJ) Health Card will be available by November.

The card is aimed at improving the access to medication for persons who receive care at public-health facilities.

It was initially slated to be in use from February 2010.

The GOJ Health Card will allow persons with prescriptions from public-health facilities easy access to medication at no cost, for items that are on the vital, essential and necessary lists.

The service is expected to be available at public-sector and selected private-sector pharmacies island-wide.

The card will also improve the mechanism to bill private health insurance providers, as it will state whether the individual has health insurance.

Dr. Ferguson was speaking at a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) workshop yesterday.

He says PAHO has been asked to provide technical assistance with the implementation of the card.

editorial@gleanerjm.com